Thieve's Luck

Tommy the Thumb must have messed up. What did he miss? Who saw him? Was it a inner guild rivalry surfaced? Either way Tommy the Thumb must now dodge authority and his guild to get away safely.

Tommy the Thumb was elated after his last heist. It went seamlessly without a hitch. Four emeralds, two rubies, and a jewel encrusted dagger. The dagger might be hard to pawn off as is but the jewels pried out of it would catch a nice sum. After a fortnight laying low in the countryside, all that was left was small trek to the city of Farrow, a small stop at the Blue Pail for some dinner and he could chock down another successfully completed job for the guild.

Getting to the city near dusk, the city gates were left unguarded as always. Convenient for a thief to live during such safe times, he thought to himself. Entering the gate Tommy the Thumb glanced at the wanted wall, as was his custom. Never know who may turn up there, if it was one Tommy recognized it almost guaranteed the marked one would be found face down in the river not soon after. The Farrow Guild didn’t take too well to failure. Only half looking as he passed by a faint familiarity struck him and caused him to stop in his tracks. A crude picture that didn’t look much like him met his second glance, what did catch his attention was a drawing of a hand, a hand without a thumb. Tommy the Thumb brought his hand up to his face, the hand that was indeed missing a thumb.

Tommy the Thumb must have messed up. What did he miss? Who saw him? Was it a inner guild rivalry surfaced? Either way Tommy the Thumb must now dodge authority and his guild to get away safely.

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You have money, but it's hot. Passage is relitivly easy, but your are wanted. Your allies have abandined you, and now all your enemies get a cash bonus for offing you, instead of a hanging. And there's a rock in your shoe.

Think your day was bad already? Read the fine print. Thought that reward was a bit high for burglary? Maybe that's because you have some extras added on. More things missing, someone kidnapped/killed, a woman blaming her indescretions on you "forcing" herself on you (a convienient way to cover an unexpected pregnancy), something more than you did may have been pinned on you. How are you gonna clear your name when you are part guilty?

This is quite the cute short story, and it has something usable hiddien in it somewhere. The problem is I am not sure where. PCs don't typically have msising thumbs even if they are a guild member and the real interest comes from the perspective of being Tommy Thumb. I suppose he could be a 'friend' of sorts in need of help but that could easily devolve into an irksome quest or one the PCs would not take up at all.

Years after this, once Tommy had exacted his revenge on the guildmates who betrayed him to the authorities, he started his own gang of thieves. Contrary to the guild structure that fostered strangers to work together, and sometimes against each other, his gang was family. The Thumbcutters became rather infamous in Farrow and in the surrounding lands. They were indeed thieves of the first rate, but rather than coercion, running rackets and the like, the Thumbcutters were highwaymen and house breakers. They took from the wealthy, from guildsmen and merchants, and their favorite marks, traveling thieves.

The Thumbcutters, however, are still very much part of the community. They give alms at the church, and make an effort at running a front business to look legitimate. They can recognized by their left hands missing the thumb.